katekate_reads_'s review
“In sickness and in health” - everyone is familiar with these words in marriage vows. In Everything I Have Is Yours, we witness a marriage that is being tested through this vow.
Eleanor and Aaron met and started dating when they were very young and got married a few years later. Aaron is struggling with unexplained illness - is it actually physical? Is it mental illness? He also struggles with alcohol, drugs, depression and suicidal ideation. Eleanor struggles with how to help him through all of this. How to believe him. How to best take care of him and also herself and their children.
This isn’t an easy memoir to read but it feels so true - like we are Eleanor’s close friend she is confiding in, even the things that don’t reflect well on her. When I read a memoir, I do it to learn about someone having different life experiences than mine and this definitely provided that. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
Eleanor and Aaron met and started dating when they were very young and got married a few years later. Aaron is struggling with unexplained illness - is it actually physical? Is it mental illness? He also struggles with alcohol, drugs, depression and suicidal ideation. Eleanor struggles with how to help him through all of this. How to believe him. How to best take care of him and also herself and their children.
This isn’t an easy memoir to read but it feels so true - like we are Eleanor’s close friend she is confiding in, even the things that don’t reflect well on her. When I read a memoir, I do it to learn about someone having different life experiences than mine and this definitely provided that. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
feebeecamille's review
1.0
Where to even begin with this book . . .
A 25 year old man doesn't realize that his girlfriend is still a high school student.
It's all downhill from there.
The medical symptoms are described so fantastically that they enter the realm of horror or science fiction.
A confusing timeline, repetitive scenes, no conclusions - the book just sort of ends.
And why the marketing of this book as a medical mystery? This is the story of a profoundly mentally ill man.
A 25 year old man doesn't realize that his girlfriend is still a high school student.
It's all downhill from there.
The medical symptoms are described so fantastically that they enter the realm of horror or science fiction.
A confusing timeline, repetitive scenes, no conclusions - the book just sort of ends.
And why the marketing of this book as a medical mystery? This is the story of a profoundly mentally ill man.
lola425's review
3.0
Beautifully written, but relentlessly sad. We all make choices in this life and I don't presume to question Henderson's, but there were a lot of WTF moments for me.
christinalucia's review
3.0
Three stars for Henderson's writing and honesty, but this is definitely not a love story. It was painful to read how this beautiful, intelligent woman has spent her life taking care of a man with terrible demons likely all stemming from childhood sexual abuse. I kept wishing that she could turn back time and say goodbye to him and Florida after her acceptance to Middlebury. Instead, he follows her to her dream school where she starts her lifetime of caring for him. Aaron fights his demons, including alcohol, drugs and mental illnesses as well as some rare medical condition. I kept reading in hopes that Aaron would find answers or a cure, but that didn't happen. Also unanswered is why the author chose this relationship. I woke up on a Sunday at 5am after a nightmare fueled by reading this memoir.
magpie98's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Mental illness, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Incest, and Child abuse
This book is a searing, unflinching account of marriage, illness, and madness in all its complexity. It's not for the faint of heart or squeamish, but it's so rewarding to those who can appreciate the full spectrum of emotion and experience Eleanor Henderson captures.kasiabrenna's review
2.0
Wow, this horror show of a relationship is really hard to read about! This man was a giant red flag when they got together when she was 17 and he was 25, using his mental illness and addictions to manipulate her. Everything goes downhill from there, to the point that I don't know which of them needs help more. And the "medical mystery" part of the book is very frustrating, as nothing is resolved and she isn't clear about how tests turned out. Shouldn't they be able to get some sort of conclusive result if you literally have worms and bugs coming out of your body (as supposedly witnessed by the author)??
I really worry for the children involved in this dysfunctional nightmare. I can't imagine how damaging it could be to grow up with a parent who is constantly threatening/attempting suicide, suffering from delusions, abusing substances, and bleeding and puking all over everything all the time while the supposedly healthier parent enables them.
I really worry for the children involved in this dysfunctional nightmare. I can't imagine how damaging it could be to grow up with a parent who is constantly threatening/attempting suicide, suffering from delusions, abusing substances, and bleeding and puking all over everything all the time while the supposedly healthier parent enables them.
feelinbreezy96's review
5.0
I feel like people either love this book or hate it. I loved it. I read it over a year ago and thought about it almost every day, so finally obtained my own copy. Will definitely be going in my pile of books I only loan out to special people.
ebalon's review
2.0
This book took me nearly two months to read and honestly, I’m not sure pushing through was worth it. First of, the non-chronological timeline was confusing and I’m not really sure what her purpose of using that structure was. Secondly the relationship between the author and her husband was incredibly hard to read about. Obviously as a reader I am not privy to all the ins and outs of their relationship but there wasn’t a lot that felt worth saving.